Sheldon Brown Says Don’t Panic
I love how we (myself included) start reaching for razor blades after watching the Eagles flop during the exhibition season. More often than not, Andy Reid’s charges have looked bad rather than good during the month of August. Some coaches place a greater emphasis on the games that don’t count, but Reid is not one of those guys.
That being said, Big Red was rightfully displeased with the lack of effort and execution displayed last Thursday night. It was an abnormally poor performance and one that has undoubtedly been broken down ad nauseam. The blown coverages and formation issues speak not only to a lack of communication, but also to players not utilizing what sits between their ears. That will be corrected. Mental errors, more so than physical ones, drive head coaches and assistants batty.
One Eagle doesn’t seem too concerned about the shaky defense. Listening to Sheldon Brown on PE.com face the media yesterday provided some solid entertainment. Visibly perturbed, Sheldon retorted to the litany of “negative” questions with the following gem:
“Defense is all about anticipation. If I don’t game plan for them, how am I going to anticipate what he’s going to do if I don’t have film on them?”
Bravo, Sheldon. Let me read between the lines: PRESEASON GAMES DON’T MEAN ANYTHING. STOP FREAKING OUT. TOM BRADY AND PEYTON MANNING ARE REALLY GOOD. WE’VE NEVER BEEN ABLE TO BEAT THOSE GUYS. WAIT UNTIL WE PLAY A MEANINGFUL GAME BEFORE YOU START WRITING US OFF.
If it makes you feel better about Carolina on September 13, consider this: starting defensive tackle Maake Kemoeatu is out for the season, middle linebacker Jon Beason has an MCL injury, backup running back Jonathan Stewart is dealing with tendinitis in his Achilles, and Steve Smith’s shoulder still isn’t completely healed.
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